Wang Hu's "Dragon and Phoenix Chengxiang" created on the eggshell of an ostrich. Photo by Zhang Xinjun, reporter of Shiliuyun/Xinjiang Daily
Pomegranate Cloud / Xinjiang Daily News (Reported by Liu Fengjing and Zhang Xinjun) After more than half a month of carving, a picture of "Dragon and Phoenix Chengxiang" came to life on the eggshell of an ostrich. "The ostrich eggshell is relatively thick, and the surface is as smooth as ceramic, so it should be finely polished with a carving machine..." Looking at this new egg carving work, Wang Hu has a full sense of accomplishment.
Wang Hu, 62, is a resident of Xincheng Community in Urumqi's Shuimogou District. He likes to paint, calligraphy, and of course, the best is to carve pictures on eggshells. In 2010, by chance, he saw egg carving works on the Internet and became fascinated by egg carving techniques ever since.
Wang Hu's egg carvings reflecting the theme of epidemic prevention and control. Photo by Zhang Xinjun, reporter of Shiliuyun/Xinjiang Daily
"The key to egg carving is the layout - the eggshell is three-dimensional, very brittle, the strength is not well mastered, the eggshell is either crushed or broken by a carving knife." Wang Hu said that in order to make egg carving over the years, he and his family have eaten a lot of eggs, "Through years of practice, I found that the choice of eggshell is very important - the size of the egg should be large, the shape should be symmetrical, the surface should be shiny, there are no spots, the color is best to be darker, so that it is not easy to carve badly, and the carved works are more layered." ”
Wang Hu's "Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, Chrysanthemum" series of egg carvings. Photo by Zhang Xinjun, reporter of Shiliuyun/Xinjiang Daily
At the beginning of making egg carving, Wang Hu started from simple flowers, and later mastered egg carving techniques such as yin carving, yang carving, and hollow carving, and the field of carving gradually expanded to landscapes, animals, and portraits. "Character carving is the most difficult, through different carving knives, scraping out scratches of different shades to highlight the subtle expressions of the character's face, which takes a long time, but also the most rewarding." Wang Hu said.
Over the past decade, Wang Hu has created hundreds of egg carving works, and the content is closer to life. In 2020, he saw many medical staff and volunteers sticking to the front line of epidemic prevention and control, and was deeply moved, spending a week to create egg carving works such as "Zhong Nanshan" and "Anti-epidemic Volunteers in the Snow and Wind" to express his respect for medical workers and volunteers.
He also enthusiastically shared his works with the residents around him, exchanged creative experiences, and enriched everyone's cultural life.
Wang Hu carved the world-famous painting "Mona Lisa" on the egg. Photo by Zhang Xinjun, reporter of Shiliuyun/Xinjiang Daily